EPT San Remo won by Online Qualifier

Monday, 7 April 2008

On a final table table dominated by Europeans, it was a PokerStars
qualifier from America who went home with the cheese. Jason Mercier
took home $1,340,867 for his win in San Remo, having been close to
the chip lead all the way from Day 2.

On a final table table dominated by Europeans, it was a PokerStars
qualifier from America who went home with the cheese. Jason Mercier
took home $1,340,867 for his win in San Remo, having been close to
the chip lead all the way from Day 2. In one of the briefest final
tables in EPT history, Mercier defeated Frenchman Anthony Lellouche
heads-up to win the crown.
The start of play saw the final table line up like this:
Dario Minieri (Italy) — 1,832,000
Jason Mercier (USA) — 1,591,000
Anthony Lellouche (France) — 1,192,000
Gregory Genovese (Italy) — 694,000
Dag Palovic (Slovakia) — 585,000
Eric Koskas (France) — 449,000
William Thorson (Sweden) — 418,000
Marcus Bower (USA) — 278,000
Dario Minieri was the chip leader going into the final table and
also the best known of the players left in San Remo. The Italian
has a reputation for being fearless with his chips, and it was sure
to be a long day for the others.
First out was Bower, who decided to go all in with his pocket
fours and was called by the Ad-Jd of Lellouche. The ace on the
river sent Bower out in eighth, taking home $118,348.
Next out was Dag Palovic after he tangled with Minieri. Minieri
limped in preflop and Palovic raised with pocket queens. Minieri
called, and then checked as the flop came down . Palovic pushed all
in with his queens, but Minieri had flopped a set of threes, fading
the remaining two queens to leave Palovic finishing in seventh.
Sixth and fifth went to Thorson and Genovese respectively, with
Mercier’s AK beating Thorson’s AQ, while Italian Genovese was
vanquished by his fellow countryman. A bluff that went wrong for
Eric Koskas saw him eliminated in fourth, leaving Minieri, Mercier
and Lellouche to battle it out three-way.
The very next hand proved to be the key hand of the tournament.
Minieri raised preflop only to be reraised by Mercier. Minieri
called, and when Minieri was reraised all in on the flop of
7h-2d-8d, he quickly called with pocket queens. Mercier tabled
Ad-4d, leaving him with 12 outs to take the lead. He missed them on
the turn when the 4h arrived, but he did pick up another two outs
with the 4c and 4s. It was a diamond on the river though which sent
Minieri out in third place, with $443,767 to console him for his
exit.
Heads-up play only lasted two hands as Mercier looked to press
his big chip lead. The money went in pre flop with Lellouche’s
pocket sevens leading Mercier’s KQ offsuit. It was to be Mercier’s
day though as he flopped a queen, leaving Lellouche flailing for
one of the two sevens in the deck. Neither arrived, and Lellouche
cashed $779,215 for his runner-up finish.

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